Just as quickly as the VD stripped me of my senses, I found myself regaining them. My vision grew from a muddled mesh of colors to something clear. Sound transformed from garbled noises into something intelligible. And a general sense of uneasiness coursed through my being. I stared down at the floor as my senses returned and as I did so, I noticed that several things were… off.

Strands of hair entered my vision, but rather than being the curly brown hair I knew all too well, they were instead wavy and black. As I breathed, I felt an unusual sensation on the front of my chest. And though faint, I felt something was wrong with the cadence of my breathing, as it sounded both higher pitched and strangely familiar. 

However, the most obvious oddity was the fact that I was now standing in the middle of my bedroom, instead of sitting at my desk in my chair. I lurched my head up and around the room to investigate. I felt a sheet of hair flutter across my shoulders as I did so, further confusing me. But it all began to make sense when I saw myself, sitting in my chair, looking down at the remote that I was holding seconds ago. 

I was naturally confused by this, and thought to myself, “if that’s me sitting in the chair, then who am I?” I figured out the answer to that question when I looked down at my hand. Its dark tone surprised me at first, and as I looked past the hand down towards the white sleeves, I realized I had, somehow, become Maxxie Flare. 

A flurry of questions and concerns began cascading throughout my brain as I tried to comprehend this fact, and a sense of unrest began to fill my person. I failed my arms and hands erratically, coming to terms with the fact that I was in control of them. If I had been left to my own devices, I would have likely fallen into a panic attack, but my attention was quickly directed elsewhere.

More specifically to the sight of my body. The body I had known for all my life. For I saw their hand was down their pants, grabbing onto their erect penis. I froze as I watched this scene unfurl before me, struggling to comprehend oh so many things, and I remained that way until the figure before me spoke up.

“Holy shit! What the bonk is going on here?”

“M-Maxxie?” I replied, startled by the voice that rattled throughout my skull. “Are… are you in my body?”

“Yeah— Dude, wait, hold your goldarn horses for just a moment!” 

Maxxie quickly pulled a hand out of her pants, almost shoving the VD off of her lap in the process.

Verde: I want to stop you for a moment and make sure that you are aware of how you are using possessives.

Huh? What do you mean?

Verde: I am referring to how you referred to the pants that were originally yours as ‘Maxxie’s pants’ after she switched bodies with you.

Oh, well, it just makes sense, right? They are no longer my pants if I am not wearing them and… English is actually a pretty annoying language in this regard. But if I were to talk about the shirt belonging to Maxxie’s body, when I am inside of her body, I would refer to it as my shirt. I could talk about how, ‘I touched the shirt currently worn by Maxxie’s body, which I was occupying at the time.’ But that is so much clunkier and harder to say than, ‘I touched my shirt.’

Verde: Fair enough, but what about your bedroom, is it now Maxxie’s? What of Maxxie’s family, are they yours when you are in her body?

Well… technically you can argue in favor of either method. While I am in Maxxie’s original body, I cannot help but view the body, clothing, and such as belonging to me, and being mine, if only for the moment. However, the bedroom we were in after we swapped, that I still view as my bedroom. I view Maxxie’s family as still being Maxxie’s, even though, to them, unaware of this swap, I was Maxxie. 

When I speak, regardless of the body I am in, it is my voice. It’s not my original voice, it’s my new voice. At the same time, if I was doing homework that was assigned to Maxxie, while in her body, I was doing her homework because it was assigned to Maxxie. Despite being in her body— original body I should say, I am not Maxxie, I am Jad Novus, and I will always be Jad Novus, no matter whose body I am in.

Verde: That’s not necessarily true, as your mind could… Nevermind. That was a tad bit convoluted, but I like your train of thought. Now then, please, carry on. 

After taking her hand out of her pants, Maxxie once again took hold of the VD, looking at it with a degree of childlike wonder. But rather than play with it any further, Maxxie instead placed the device on my desk, jolted out of my chair, and hopped towards me. It was an odd sight, looking up at my original body, staring at it from angles that I had so rarely seen myself, and it being so close to my face. Yet for as much as I would have loved to examine my original body from the third person like this, we were both a bit distracted by our current bodies, which we began to examine in closer detail… No, not like that, Verde. We didn’t do anything naughty… 

Verde: Really? You didn’t try anything at all when you were in each other’s bodies?

I… let me just continue the story.

As I leaned my head down to examine my body in more detail, I was immediately greeted by strands of black hair that flooded my face. It was soft and well maintained, despite being so haphazardly styled, but its length was something that irritated me, if only because I had historically kept my hair fairly short. After briefly brushing a hand through these strands, my fingers drifted to my face. As my fingers touched this skin, my mind flashed back to the sleepovers Maxxie and I had in our youth. Bundled together in the same bed, our faces touching as we drifted off to sleep. 

It was a warm and smooth sensation that quickly led me to play with my hands. Maxxie had been dedicating herself to being an artist for years, and as such, she always took care of her hands. They had a sense of strength, dexterity, softness, and delicacy to them. After seeing the amazing things she could do with a pen, it felt empowering to be in possession of such hands, even if I lacked the knowledge of how to use them to their full potential. 

I then continued moving about these hands over the body I resided in, reaching through the shirt to feel my arms, stomach, shoulder, and back, then rolling up my pants to feel my legs. Every part of my current body had a sense of softness and warmth to it, and just feeling it made my heart race. Mind you, I was not touching anything I shouldn’t. I mean, over the years I had, unintentionally, seen Maxxie naked a few times, but I really did not want to delve into the areas I failed to mention—

Verde: Jad, you can just say the breasts and crotch. Just explain why you did not want to touch yourself.

The reason why I kept my hands away from my… slightly below average, I guess, sized chest and her crotch region was due to a couple of factors. One, I had just switched into her body and did not want to do anything like that when she was inches away from me. Two… Did I mention how we’ve been friends since second grade?

Verde: You implied something to that effect, yes.

Yes, that’s the reason why I did not want to… um, ‘delve down the dark depths of devilish desires,’ as I’m sure Maxxie would put it. I’ve known her for most of my life, and, well, I never really wanted to do anything sexual with her… Or just about anybody for that matter, which I guess would be my third point. 

Unfortunately, it was a bit hard to ignore the… assets of Maxxie’s original body. The breasts were very prominent in my mind thanks to the article of clothing that caressed them and tied behind my back. And as for the other bit, I felt an odd comfort in the lack of a… the lack of a penis and testicles.

I’m guessing that part of this comfort came from the leather pants. They tightly clung against my legs, made everything feel warm, compact, and pleasant. Meanwhile, the notably looser shirt had a very comforting texture that I became well associated with as I began rubbing it against my skin and smiling. There was a sense of ‘rightness’ I couldn’t help but associate with the situation, helped by a sense of energy that flowed through my body, allowing me to vividly understand why exactly Maxxie was so bubbly. 

I momentarily wanted to make use of this energy, and get a bit more comfortable in this body, by running around, maybe even exercising to take care of the bits of ‘thickness fat’ Maxxie had been developing. But after toying with that fantasy for a second, I returned to the reality before me and began asking myself some very important questions.

“How do we switch back? Can we even switch back? Is this a permanent body swap? Can I possibly hope to live as Maxxie? Where did she put that remote?”

Just as I was about to fall into another panicked fit, I directed my eyes towards Maxxie and saw that she was taking her shirt off. She paused after glancing at me, recognized the lewdness of her actions, and attempted to recover from this awkward situation by adopting a dumb expression that looked unsightly on my face.

“What? I just wanted to get a whole new perspective on ya, Jad!” Maxxie said.

“Oh, um, I guess that’s fine,” I stammered, still not used to the voice in my throat and head. “But… We really should make sure we can switch ba—”

It was always a bad sign whenever I heard Maxxie speak in a softer tone, and that’s precisely what flowed through my head as I tried speaking to her. But that’s not why I suddenly stopped talking. Instead, it was due to how my bedroom door flung open in the middle of our conversation, revealing my mothee. Meaning the mother who raised me, Jad Novus, for the past eighteen years, even though I was in Maxxie’s body at the time. 

My mother, Caroline Steticks, is a lovely woman who I think the world of. She is 169 centimeters tall, meaning she was just a single centimeter taller than myself at the moment, has kept herself under 60 kilograms since I was born, and is 34-years-old. Although she often gets mistaken for being in her late twenties, which makes the age gap between us look even smaller and more concerning to any onlookers. She had blonde hair tied in a bun, a fair and soft complexion, and hazy blue eyes which I always thought highly of. Although, most people would probably focus on her figure which, I guess, is quite attractive, featuring large breasts and a trim waistline. She wasn’t wearing much that would show off her… stuff, though, as she settled on a medium-toned green sweater and some jeans for today.

She walked into my room carrying a plate of various fruits and veggies, including carrots, celery, peppers, cucumber slices, and two sliced up oranges and apples. But by suddenly entering at this inopportune moment, she scared the crap out of both of us. I, personally, had in no way accounted or mentally prepared for this, and completely froze. 

Maxxie, thankfully, thought quickly and was infinitely better at improvising than I was. Like a pro, she tossed her shirt back on before the door was fully opened, and effortlessly slid into a ‘good enough’ impersonation of me. Which was impressive, but it had an asterisk attached, as we had known each other for the majority of our lives.

“Oh, thanks mom,” Maxxie said, nonchalantly taking the plate from her hands.

“You’re welcome, Jad. And is there anything I can get for you, Maxxie?” My mother said, diverting her attention towards me.

“Nah, no thanks M— erm, C. I’m good!” I said while rubbing the back of my head.

First encounter, and I nearly botched the first rule of impersonation. I recovered though, pulling out the nickname C, which was derived from how my mother’s name ‘Caroline’ was hard for Maxxie to say when she was little. It was a simple nickname, but I always thought it was kinda cute. 

After exchanging these few words, my mother was content, and promptly left us to resume, “whatever you two are in the middle of.” 

Verde: Oh, if only she knew…

Heh. We both shared a collective sigh of relief once she left, but Maxxie’s quickly turned into a giggle.

“That was so cool,” Maxxie whispered into my ear. 

“I g-guess, but back to what I was s-saying, w-we really should make sure that we can r-reverse this whole body swap thing.” I stammered out, a bit afraid that my mother would sneak back in, even though there was no reason for her to.

“Oh, so is my body shit-tier or something?” Maxxie said with scorn as she folded her arms.

“Wha— No! I am just saying that, while you are my favorite person in the world, I might not want to spend the rest of my life as you. I just want to make sure that we can switch back with this… VD.”

“VD? Do you mean the remote?” Maxxie asked as she put her jacket back on.

“That’s what Verde called it, so I figured it would be a better name than just calling it ‘the remote,’ ‘the device,’ or… another generic name.”

“If it works, we can switch back right away, right?”

“Y-Yes, I guess.”

“Then lemme whip out the VD and let’s get back to the norms!” Maxxie said as she pulled her arms behind her head and stretched.

After securing the VD from my desk, I promptly pressed button one at Maxxie, which made her squirm a bit and caused her name, Maxxisaurus Flare, to appear on the VD’s screen. Button two did much the same for myself, and after assuming that everything was in order, I placed the VD on my bed and pressed Go. It was probably a needless precaution, but I did not want to risk dropping something as valuable as this.

Switching back was, well, a lot like switching in the first place. Senses faded away into nothing, and before I knew it, I was standing on the other side of the room, staring at the body I inhabited moments ago.

Verde: A moment is technically 90 seconds, so it was technically far less than a single moment, let alone several moments.

…Duly noted, Verde. Regardless, I was back in my original body, which I began moving about, caressing myself a bit, and slightly regretting the lack of a mirror in my room. It was certainly comforting to be myself again, but I was more relieved that the VD actually worked than anything else. After I glanced down at my person, my attention went towards Maxxie, who was in the middle of fondling her… assets. 

“Bip, zip, check-ups, all is good in boobie land. And in the back… yep. An anaconda don’t want none less you got buns hun, and I’ve got ‘em once again!” 

As I watched Maxxie as she fondled her breasts and butt, I couldn’t help but let out a very audible laugh.

“What? I just wanted to get re-acclimated with my most precious assets. For all I know, that doohickey of yours could’ve drained me of my sexiness… or something.” Maxxie grumbled.

“How would you make a remote powered by sex appeal? It’s really not a quantifiable energy source. Besides, didn’t Verde say that this thing had unlimited power?”

“Something like that… anyway, now that we know this is not a one-way trip, I think it’s high time that you go back to being a DBG!” Maxxie said as she nonchalantly waltzed over to my bed, plucking the VD from it.

“A… DBG?” I asked. “Is that some sort of acronym or are you just being a goof?”

Before I received the luxury of having my question answered, Maxxie registered the two of us with the VD, and promptly pressed Go, switching out bodies once more. Shaking my head around after I was hit by the same numbing sensation for the third time in the past fifteen minutes, Maxxie ran up to invade my personal space… Which I guess she would have a right to do, seeing as how I was in her original body after all.

“Ya know, a DBG, delicious brown girl,” Maxxie explained as she leaned into my face and gave me a lick on the cheek. 

“Huh, I expected it to be a bit more… yummy. Instead, it’s just sorta salty… not really delicious though.” Maxxie mused as she took a step away from me.

“Maxxie, skin color does not denote taste, and… what are we doing?” I asked her while tilting my head.

“What do you mean? We’re just hanging out, but with each other’s faces for a little bit— Oh, now I get your space train of thought. Just hear me out on this for a minute, okay? What if we spent the night in each other’s bodies? We’ve had dozens of sleepovers, been to each other’s houses more times than we could count, so why not max out our social links beyond the beyond, and go from best friends to ultra best friends? It will be cool, intimate, and if we keep it a secret, I’m sure it will be absolutely wicked. Shit, just getting busted by C was enough to give me the wild and wet willies… the kind with the sweat, not the penis kind.” 

After Maxxie referenced her penis, she began poking her pants, revealing that she had an erection.

I took a deep breath and looked over my current body with Maxxie’s request in mind. It’s true that I am incredibly close with Maxxie, but I couldn’t help but be a pessimist when imagining what could possibly go wrong.

“I’m not sure, we—”

“You only got one shot! Do not miss your chance to flow! This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo!” 

As Maxxie said that, I couldn’t help but laugh. It… was an in-joke between us, based on a mashup between an Idolm@ster and Eminem song. It was a good point regardless, as this was an amazing opportunity that, as far as I could tell, nobody has ever received.

“Okay, okay. It will probably be interesting, and—”

“Dude, it will be the best night!” Maxxie shouted, her level of excitement sounding… bizarre given her current voice. “Don’t get all down in the worries about what could go wrong, deal with that when shit is bad, for now, look towards the future! Hit that pie in the sky, and eat it like a cool fat bear itching his nuts! Go for that big fish and don’t eat that shitty tasting baby salmon! Ippo never said fuck it and died in the ring, he went after that bastard and hit him in the face with a gazelle punch, ‘cos he’s the best boy!”

I could not stop myself from laughing at the end of her overactive spiel. I had fallen to my bed as it began, and was tossing and turning by the end of it. While at the peak of my laughter, Maxxie decided to join me in my bed, hugging me as the two of us rolled back and forth… before she bumped into a wall.

“Eheheh, so we cool?” Maxxie asked me as our faces touched one another.

“Of course we are. We’re always cool,” I answered as I tightened my hug.

“Aw, you’re positively adorkable in my body, you know that Jad? Keep it up, and we might have to stay like this forever and evers,” Maxxie said as she began fiddling with my hair.

I giggled a bit, put my hand into her hair, my original hair, and… we just kinda did that for a minute. At least until she ruined the mood by showing a hand up my shirt and cupping a pair of squeezes. I curtly looked at her as, well, she just fondled her original body. But instead of showing any sign of regret, Maxxie just made a stupid grin that caused both of us to let out a laugh. 

Verde: I do believe that we reached a good place to stop, at least for the moment.

So, for the next ninety seconds?

Verde: …Would you believe me if I claimed my wording there was intentional?

Well… I may, but now that we’re at a stopping point, I want some answers. 

Verde: Fair enough, I do owe you that much.

So, you are this kind of… God who can shape reality, and did so just to see how I would react to, well, a body swapping adventure with my best friends?

Verde: Yes, that is correct, sans the god comment, I greatly dislike the idea of being compared to a divine entity. That said, I am the one who set these events in motion. My reason for doing so is because I was curious to see how you, Jad Novus, would handle this unique situation, and what your thoughts on these events are after the fact. So I brought you into my dimension, realm, domain, what have you, to speak with you about the events that transpired from November 22, 2014 to November 25, 2014.

Wait, so this all actually happened? 

Verde: It all happened, but I am also a being who can rewrite history and change reality around. In short, it happened, but I made it a separate branch of reality. 

I… Okay, so you are a being with great powers who… are you an alien?

Verde: No. I am a human being with what amounts to very bizarre and profoundly powerful superpowers.

Meaning you can rewrite reality and constantly change your form?

Verde: Yes, I demonstrated my powers to you earlier, Jad. Given my powers, I am not tied to any specific base form, but I identify as a woman and like to retain my human origins, so I typically adopt the body of a human woman. Though, I do regularly change things up for my own amusement. This is why I was a muscular Brazilian woman with flowing black hair, in a tight green dress when I first met you. Yet now I am a tall, lean Scandinavian woman, wearing a periwinkle sweater, and some black leggings.

Alright. Sorry, it’s just that, not to be rude or anything, but you really did not explain that very well when you brought me into this pocket dimension of yours.

Verde: I misjudged your ability to comprehend bizarre situations— or rather, I had assumed that people, in general, were more accustomed to the bizarre, which was an error on my part. 

That seems… odd, but just let me clarify a few things before getting right back to it.

Verde: Go ahead.

You are a woman with superhuman abilities who used her powers to conduct an experiment of sorts wherein she would give a young man and his friends a body swapping remote. All because you were curious to see how they would react when given this amazing device. Enticed by the actions of the one you gave this device to, you brought them into your personal pocket dimension and enhanced their memories. All so they could recount the events that you placed them through and observed yourself.

Verde: …Yes, my experiment was one based on human behavior and their response to the unknown. Well, not necessarily human behavior, as this was more of a case study than anything, as I found that you and your friends were an interesting group who piqued my curiosity.

So, amongst all the people in the world, across all of human history, what about my friends and I are so dang interesting?

Verde: You are not the ‘most’ interesting sort, but I nevertheless find you all to be an entertaining group of eccentric teenagers and a prime set of candidates for this little case study of mine.

…I guess that’s about all the answer I need… but this situation is still all kinds of weird.

Verde: Indeed it is, Jad. But I would advise that you just roll with it. You’ll probably end up much happier that way.

Alright, I guess… Now, where was I?